Comment on Lilly King finishes off World Championships with third gold medal

COMMERCE CITY — Already out of the playoff picture after last weekend’s loss in Portland, the Colorado Rapids could only play the role of spoiler Wednesday night. The Rapids stormed back from a 1-0 first-half deficit with two second-half goals, only to give up a late equalizer in a 2-2 tie against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Diego Rubio scored his second goal in as many games for Colorado (4-15-11, 23 points), while Cole Bassett added a fourth goal contribution in his last four, as he found the back of the net in the 68th minute.

CLASS 5A Fountain-Fort Carson (5-0) vs. No. 2 Pine Creek (5-0) When/where: 6 p.m. Thursday at D20 Stadium Last meeting: Pine Creek 14, at Fountain-Fort Carson 0, Sept. 30, 2022 Fountain-Fort Carson has yet to meet a defense capable of stopping its relentless run game (353.6 yards/game), and Pine Creek (6 points allowed/game) has yet to go up against an offense it can’t shut down.

Austin Hays knows this season won’t soon be forgotten. He was around when the Orioles lost twice as many games as they won. He felt every step they climbed over the past five years. “This is what you dream of,” he said Tuesday. “Going from multiple 100-loss seasons … to turn it around this year and be right on the cusp of winning 100 games, it’s going to always stick with us.” The Orioles rekindled a fan base’s hope when they leapt from 52 wins in 2021 to 83 last year, but few analysts predicted another jump.

As September winds down, it’s tryout time for a number of Rockies who want to give their bosses something positive to mull over during the offseason. Wednesday night was rookie starter Noah Davis’ turn to impress. His performance at Coors Field drew mixed reviews. The Rockies’ overall performance was mostly bad. The Dodgers, reveling in a three-run, eighth-inning homer by Freddie Freeman, pounded the Rockies, 8-2. Colorado, limping toward the finish line, lost for the ninth time in its last 10 games.

The Colorado Avalanche invited a pretty interesting group of players to training camp on tryout contracts this season. Joel Kiviranta had the biggest night of his NHL career at the Avs’ expense in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs with Dallas. Peter Holland was retired last season, and has already had a life-changing experience during camp. Then there is Brandon Kozun, who can match Holland for the most interesting journey to this point of the bunch. Kozun, who was born in Los Angeles and lives in Calgary in the offseason, has not played for a team on North American soil since 2014-15, when he and Holland were teammates in the Toronto organization. He has spent most of the past eight seasons playing in the KHL, including stops in Helsinki, Yaroslavl, Magnitogorsk and Minsk. “It’s obviously been a while since I’ve been at one of these,” the 33-year-old Kozun said.

Broncos safety Justin Simmons returned to practice Wednesday after not playing in the team’s 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday while recovering from a hip injury. Simmons, who was a limited participant along with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (knee), said he’s feeling “a lot better.” He did not commit to playing against the Chicago Bears on Sunday but said “I’m trying my best to get there.” Simmons did not practice all of last week, only stretching on the side field during the media viewing period.